EQ Resources expands for bigger tungsten future

The project will double Mt Carbine’s crushing capacity from approximately one million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) to two million tonnes per annum, addressing a key processing bottleneck and paving the way for higher production.

“Board approval to progress the Mt Carbine expansion project reflects EQR’s clear focus on optimising and developing our existing operating tungsten assets at a time when the world is desperately short of concentrate supply,” EQ Resources managing director Craig Bradshaw said.

“At Mt Carbine, this means building the processing capacity required to support higher ore throughput, future feed flexibility and the potential development of a regional tungsten basin around the existing operation.”

Once fully commissioned in the third quarter of the 2026-27 financial year (FY27), the expansion is expected to initially lift output by around 500 tonnes of tungsten trioxide (WO₃) annually through the processing of low-grade stockpiles, with further growth potential linked to resource conversion activities, exploration success at Wolfram Camp and other regional feed sources.

Beyond boosting throughput, the project is designed to transform Mt Carbine into the centrepiece of a broader Queensland tungsten basin. The expanded plant will provide the capacity needed to support a hub-and-spoke model incorporating Wolfram Camp and other opportunities across the Mt Carbine district.

The upgrade will integrate crushing, screening, ore sorting and product handling into a streamlined automated flow sheet, reducing material handling requirements by a factor of eight and lowering diesel consumption and operating costs.

EQ Resources expects to fund the expansion through existing cash reserves and future operating cashflows generated by Mt Carbine as production ramps up into what the company said as a record tungsten price environment.